PROGRAM 2026
Feature Film
General Admission Sold Out
WOMAN AND CHILD
(ZAN VA BACHE)
OFFICIAL COMPETITION
Director: Saeed Roustayi
+13
Duration: 131 min
Year: 2025
Countries: Iran, France, Germany
Genre: Drama
O. V: Iranian / Spa & Eng Subt
NOMINATIONS
78 Cannes Film Festival (2025) – Palme d’Or, Best Film
SYNOPSIS
Mahnaz (Parinaz Izadyar), a 40-year-old widowed nurse, goes through a period of personal transition while trying to sustain her relationship with her teenage son. Set within a family environment shaped by unspoken tensions, Woman and Child sensitively portrays the intimate and social challenges faced by its characters.
BIOGRAPHY
Saeed Roustayi (born 1989) is a celebrated Iranian film director and screenwriter known for gritty social dramas such as Life and a Day (2016), Just 6.5 (2019), and Leila’s Brothers (2022), tackling issues of injustice, poverty, and patriarchy in Iran. His work has earned him international acclaim and major awards, but has also led to conflict with Iranian authorities, including a prison sentence for screening his films abroad without permission. He studied directing at Soore University and rose to prominence after winning multiple Crystal Simorgh awards at the Fajr Film Festival for his debut feature. Woman and Child (2025) premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival, continuing his focus on social struggle.